Here are the four stages (or paths) of a digital marketing funnel.
1 Awareness
This is where the customer realizes they have a problem that must be solved. At this stage, they are not aware of your brand yet or don’t know they need your product. Your ultimate goal should be to make them aware of your product and its benefits.
2 Consideration
Now that the customer is aware of your product, they want to evaluate it against other similar products in the market. They analyze all the features and benefits of your product and how it stands in front of other similar items.
According to Pardot, 70% of buyers return to Google at least two-three times during the research (consideration stage) to better understand each company’s specific offerings.
3 Purchase
The customer has completed his research and has decided which option is best for them. At this stage, the bottom of funnel content can make them feel confident of their decision to purchase. It includes testimonials, customer success stories, and case studies.
4 Post-Purchase
Do you know 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers?
This means that even when the customer has bought your product, the sales cycle is not complete. Another benefit of post-purchase care is that it increases word-of-mouth marketing, thereby attracting more customers.
Understanding Modern Customer’s Buyer Journey
Let’s understand the online buyer’s journey and how they move through different stages with some real-world examples. Let’s consider that we have a customer named James, a fitness freak.
Example One: James needs a fitness tracker.
Example Two: James wants protein shakes
Framework and Model of Digital Marketing Funnel
Now that you know the different stages of the digital marketing funnel and how customers move through it let’s look at the digital marketing funnel framework and model. It determines the strategies to convert customers (or move them down your sales funnel).
The digital marketing funnel framework is divided into four segments:
Strategies for “See” Category
As mentioned above, customers at this stage are not aware of your product or that they need it. At this stage, you should focus on moving them down to the “think” stage.
Here are some ways (channels) to generate awareness about your product:
Strategies for “Think” Category
This is where the research comes to action Customers compare your proposition with your competitors in every aspect possible (features, benefits, etc.).
But remember, they are still not looking for promotional content. They are looking to learn more about how your product solves their problems (or needs).
You need to establish yourself as an authority in the industry to move customers from the “think” to the “do” stage.
Here are some ways to market to your audience in the “think” category:
Strategies for “Do” Category
The customer has made up his mind (almost), and needs a last push to complete the transaction.
Here are some strategies to eliminate the last-minute hurdle and increase the chances of conversion.
Strategies for “Care” Category
It defines how you are going to retain your customers and turn one-time buyers into loyal ones. Ensure that your current customers are satisfied with your product and assist them in case they need any help.
Here are some ways to do so:
Content for Each Stage of the Funnel
Content marketing is an important part of the customer journey (irrespective of the stages). The biggest benefit of creating content for each stage of the funnel is that it supports your SEO.
It also establishes you as an authority in the industry and helps build trust with potential customers.
Content for Awareness (See) Stage
Content for Consideration (Think) Stage
Content for Purchase (Do) Stage
Content for Post-Purchase (Care) Stage
Marketing Funnel Metrics
You have created a digital marketing funnel and defined the strategies to attract potential customers. Now, you need to track the effectiveness of your funnel. This enables you to optimize and improve the funnel over time.
Here are some metrics that you must focus on :
Conversion rate
It helps determine how many prospects enter your funnel and how many convert into customers. Compare the conversion rate (after creating the funnel or making changes to the existing one) with the previous period. If you see an increase in the number, you’re on the right track.
Entry and exit sources
Monitoring customers’ entry-stage and exit stages in the funnel is essential. It helps determine which marketing strategies attract potential customers and what drives them away.
Time in stage
It tracks where your prospects are getting stuck in the buyer journey. You can then add more content to your site or change the marketing approach to move customers quickly to the following stage.
Content engagement rate
It determines if your content is compelling enough to engage your prospects or not. It includes tracking bounce rate, time on site, average pages per session, and page depth.
A digital marketing funnel helps determine the right marketing strategy for each stage of the customer journey. With the right digital marketing funnel, you can increase the conversion rate, reduce customer acquisition costs, and decrease the churn rate. Use the strategies mentioned in this article to promote your product or services to your customers at each sales funnel stage.
Have you created a digital marketing funnel before? Did we miss anything important? Let us know in the comments.
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